Cecile followed the girl down the dimly lit streets, his heart still racing from the encounter. The adrenaline from the chase and the sudden surge of power in his veins hadn't yet left him, and he could feel every nerve in his body buzzing with anxious energy. The eerie quiet of Luna City at night was unsettling, a stark contrast to the lively, bustling city he knew during the day.
They entered Luna City Public Park, a place Cecile had seen countless times during the day. But at night, it felt like a different world entirely. By day, the park was a sanctuary of green, a place where families picnicked, children played, and the sun cast everything in a warm, golden light. People laughed by the fountains, fed the birds, and strolled beneath the sprawling acacia trees.
Now, under the cover of darkness, the park was something else. The trees cast skeletal shadows, their branches twisted like gnarled fingers clawing at the sky. The streetlights flickered intermittently, their faint glow only adding to the unsettling atmosphere. Even the fountains, which once sparkled with clear water, looked menacing in the moonlight—dark, still, and cold.
“This place feels different at night,” Cecile muttered, glancing warily at the long shadows the trees cast across the path.
The girl, who was walking ahead, didn’t bother looking back at him. Her white hair gleamed faintly in the dim light, and her crisp school uniform—dark blue blazer and all—seemed almost out of place in the gloom of the park. If she was unsettled by the oppressive atmosphere, she didn’t show it.
“Everything’s different in the dark,” she said, her voice matter-of-fact. “People like to pretend the world stays the same when the sun goes down, but it doesn’t. The things we miss during the day—they come out at night.”
Cecile couldn’t help but notice how calm she seemed—like walking through a haunted park after facing a monster was just a regular Tuesday for her.
“So,” Cecile began, awkwardly breaking the silence, “are you always... like this?” He gestured vaguely at her pale skin and striking appearance, unsure of how to phrase it without sounding like a complete idiot.
The girl turned to face him, one eyebrow raised in mock curiosity. “Like what?” she asked, her tone flat, though Cecile could tell she was already amused.
“You know,” Cecile said, fumbling, “pale.”
Her lips twitched as though she was holding back a smirk. “Yes, Cecile. I’m pale because I’m albino, not because I’m secretly a vampire or cursed by some ancient god.” She paused, giving him a pointed look. “It’s called genetics. Try it sometime.”
Cecile blinked, feeling a little foolish. “Right. I wasn’t sure.”
“Of course you weren’t.” The girl resumed walking, her voice dripping with dry sarcasm. “You thought I was some kind of immortal spirit just wandering around in a school uniform.”
“Well,” Cecile mumbled, “you did just fight a monster with a ghost, so it wasn’t that far-fetched.”
The girl’s chuckle was low, more amused than dismissive. “Touché.”
They walked in silence for a while, the only sound being the occasional rustle of leaves and the soft scrape of their shoes on the wet pavement. Cecile couldn’t stop thinking about the creature they had just faced. The memory of the aswang—its distorted, nightmarish form and the feeling of terror that had gripped him as he ran—was still too fresh.
“How did I... you know, see everything like that?” Cecile asked, breaking the quiet again. “The way the world changed, how I could—” He paused, unsure of how to describe it. “It was like I could see through it all.”
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Paradoxical Convergence (Book 1)
ParanormalIn the eerie and vibrant streets of Luna City, Cecile is haunted by a traumatic past, his dreams plagued by a car crash that took his family. But Luna City is no ordinary place-it is a city steeped in the supernatural, where dark forces lurk in ever...
